Answering the NFL’s biggest questions ahead of Week 6: Are the Bengals cooked? NFC North rankings, and barking dogs

The N.F.L We did it again in week 5. The Baltimore Ravens outlasted the Cincinnati Bengals in a shootout of epic proportions, the Arizona Cardinals upset the 49ers in San Francisco, while Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears dropped 36 points on the Carolina Panthers.

Last week I highlighted the Denver Broncos’ underrated defense, which was crucial in securing a third straight win against the Las Vegas Raiders. I was also trying to put Jayden Daniels’ greatness into perspective, so I wasn’t surprised when he completely shut down the Cleveland Browns last weekend, 34-13. Justin Fields was another player I highlighted, but he didn’t have his best game against the Dallas Cowboys, losing 20-17 on Sunday night. Will the Pittsburgh Steelers give Russell Wilson a shot at quarterback now?

This week I want to discuss if a struggling AFC team is dead in the water, the powerhouse is the best division in the world. N.F.L for five weeks and talks about how big underdogs have been hugely successful.

Are the Bengals done?

The Bengals are now 1-4 after the overtime loss to the rival Ravens. Fans are unfortunately used to slow starts from Joe Burrow and Co., but is it time we hit the panic button in Cincy?

The 41-38 OT loss to Baltimore didn’t feel like a typical “AFC North loss.” The total of 79 points scored was the most in series history, and the 962 yards of total offense and nine passing touchdowns were the most in all time. N.F.L game this season. Burrow threw a career-high five touchdowns on Sunday. Previously, quarterbacks who threw for at least five scores had won 18 straight games.

Clearly, the Bengals offense has turned up. Burrow missed just nine passes while throwing for 392 yards, five touchdowns and one interception, Ja’Marr Chase caught 10 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns, while Tee Higgins caught nine passes for 83 yards and also two scores. Normally, you expect to win when all your stars fill the stat sheet while putting up 442 yards of total offense. Unfortunately for the Bengals, that wasn’t the case.

If the Bengals want to make the playoffs, this defense will have to play better. Through five weeks, this unit ranks seventh in the NFL (365.4 yards allowed per game) and second in scoring defense (29 points allowed per game). The Ravens scored points on all four of their possessions in the second half on Sunday, erasing a double-digit deficit.

Injuries were also a big storyline for the Bengal defense. Defensive end Cam Sample tore his Achilles tendon before the start of the regular season, and cornerback Dax Hill just tore his ACL on Sunday. Defensive linemen Myles Murphy, McKinnley Jackson and BJ Hill have all missed time this year due to injuries, which is one reason why Cincy has the third-worst defense in the NFL (151.4 rushing yards per game), while Sheldon Rankins still is turned off. due to a hamstring injury.

Only six teams have made the playoffs after an 0-3 start, the most recent being the 2018 Houston Texans. However, there is reason to believe the Bengals can bounce back. First, Tankathon says the Bengals have the seventh-easiest remaining schedule. Next up for the Bengals are the New York Giants and the Browns. Although both games are underway, they are definitely winnable. Burrow is 9-15-1 in games 1-5 in his career, then 21-11 the rest of the season.

SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh says the Bengals now have a 17.7% chance of making the playoffs. He believes 10 AFC teams have better chances to make the playoffs, including the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Broncos. However, if you go to Caesars Sportsbook, the Bengals are only -150 to miss the playoffs, and +125 to make the postseason. Hmm…

So, are the Bengals done? No, not yet. But if Lou Anarumo’s defense is flawed, the era of Burrow, Chase and Higgins could be over.

Rankings of the NFC North

The NFC North has been the best division in the NFL through five weeks. It is the only division where every team has a winning record, led by the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings. The Detroit Lions have lost only one of four games played, the Bears have now won two in a row and Jordan Love scored his first official win of the 2024 season for the Green Bay Packers last week.

How should we rank these teams from 1-4?

1. Vikings (5-0): Let’s give credit where credit is due. Minnesota is 5-0 for the first time since 2016 and has trailed by a total of three minutes and 26 seconds this season. That’s the third-fewest minutes any team has allowed in five games since 2000. Here’s another pretty wild stat: The Vikings finished as the fourth team in the league. Super Bowl era to win four games in a row against teams at .500 or better without trailing! Sam Darnold becomes the fourth Vikings quarterback to win his first five games of a season, joining Brett Favre, Daunte Culpepper and Fran Tarkenton. Aaron Jones is effective on the ground, Justin Jefferson still looks like the best wide receiver in the NFL and Brian Flores’ defense is allowing a fourth-best 15.2 points per game.

2. Lions (3-1): The Lions have one of the best offenses in the league. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are the best RB tandems, Sam LaPorta is already one of the best tight ends in the NFL, and Jared Goff has a pair of talented receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. While Detroit can beat any team, this defense still ranks 11th in the NFL. The Lions are legit Super Bowl contender, but the secondary needs to play better.

3. Packers (3-2): Maybe the Packers didn’t look like the Super Bowl Many had envisioned this as a sleeper event, but it’s still early in the year. Love has now thrown at least two touchdowns in seven straight games, tied with Joe Flacco for the longest active streak in the NFL, while Xavier McKinney became the first player since the 1970 merger to record an interception in each of his first five games. with his new team. Next up for the Packers is the pesky Cardinals.

4. Bears (3-2): No. 1 overall pick Williams is clearly improving. He is the first Bears starting quarterback to win three of his first five starts since Craig Krenzel in 2004, and has as many 300-yard passing games this year as all other Bears starting quarterbacks combined with two. This past week against the Panthers, Williams completed all four of his passing attempts with throws of more than 15 air yards, and half of those completions were for touchdowns. The Bears have the longest active home winning streak in the NFL at eight games, and the defense ranks fifth in points allowed per game (17).

Big underdogs that bite hard

Now something I would like to draw your attention to. We’ve all heard the phrase “Every Sunday,” but that’s especially true this year.

Despite not having a star next to Malik Nabers, the Giants toured the country and upset the Seattle Seahawks – who were expected to win by a touchdown. We also saw Kyler Murray and the Cardinals beat the rival 49ers after trailing by 13 points in the third quarter.

Both the Giants (+7) and the Cardinals (+7.5) won immediately as underdogs of more than 7 points. Those 7+ point underdogs are an incredible 7-2 straight this season (.778), which is easily the best record by 7+ point underdogs in a five-week period since 1970. For reference, 7+ point underdogs went 15- 50 by 2023.

This season had the best records for underdogs of 4-8+ points through Week 5 since the 1970 merger, but check out these records for underdogs of at least six points!

NFL Underdogs in 2024